A’s sign reliever Balfour, announcement next week

I’m still supposed to be on vacation, but this is such a nice signing for Oakland, I decided to go ahead and do some work this morning, and I have had it confirmed that the A’s have signed reliever Grant Balfour to a two-year deal, and I also learned that the deal includes an option year. ESPN’s Buster Olney has reported the guaranteed portion of the deal is $8.1 million.

I was told that Balfour’s physical is not until Monday in Florida, so that will be the earliest possible day for an an announcement. Balfour had been connected with the Yankees this winter, but New York agreed to terms with Rafael Soriano this week.

Balfour is a Type-A free agent but the A’s won’t lose a first-round pick because they didn’t finish in the top half of baseball. They surrender a second-rounder to Tampa Bay.

And another little tidbit: I’ve just learned the A’s won’t offer Balfour arbitration at the conclusion of the deal if he is a Type-A free agent. That means that a team that signs Balfour in two or three years will not have to give up a first- or second-round pick. So the A’s won’t give up a first-rounder, nor will they eventually get one. Their take on such agreements with free-agents: If he’s a Type-A free agent, that means he’s performed well for Oakland, so that’s great.

With Balfour, 33, the A’s already-strong bullpen gets all the better. He had a 2.28 ERA last year, and in 2008, when the Rays went to the World Series, he was among the best in the game, with a 1.54 ERA. Opponents hit .216 off the Australian last year – .143 in 2008.

The A’s bullpen now has Andrew Bailey closing; he’s expected to be ready for spring training after a minor elbow cleanup. Set-up men are presumably Balfour, Michael Wuertz and lefty Craig Breslow. Wuertz had some nagging injuries last year and was less effective than he was in 2009. He and Balfour both seem to have every-other-year track records, and they’re on opposite years, so maybe they’ll mesh well.

Sidearmer Brad Ziegler is also back and lefty Jerry Blevins is coming off hip surgery. The interesting wild card is Rich Harden, who will be stretched out to start but who could be a tempting option in the bullpen if Brandon McCarthy or Josh Outman gets the fifth-starter spot.

I’d say the A’s now have a bullpen to match the starting pitching, and some depth. Very strong pickup. Also, knowing they had a protected first-rounder, it seemed as if the A’s really wanted to sign a Type-A free agent while they could, and here he is. Not Adrian Beltre, sure, but every team wants a full, and reliable, bullpen.

The A’s will have to make a 40-man roster move to add Balfour once the deal is announced.